The real... Coronation Chicken

By Rose Prince

7:00AM BST 04 Jun 2009

Constance Spry, asked to create a new dish for the Queen’s coronation in 1953, barely hints at her task in The Constance Spry Cookery Book (Grub Street, £25). Introducing coronation chicken, she talks only of a 'large number of guests of varying and unknown tastes’. The dish is nowadays represented as a chicken mayonnaise with added curry powder and sultanas. Revolting, especially oozing out of sandwiches. In the real thing there is not a single sultana, and the sauce, based on mayonnaise, is lightened with cream. To make coronation chicken for 6-8, just as it would have passed the lips of the 300 royal invitees of 1953, first poach two chickens for 40 minutes in water with a carrot, a splash of wine, thyme, bay leaf, parsley and four peppercorns. Cool in the liquid then remove the meat from the bones.

Set it aside and make the sauce. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add two tablespoons of chopped onion. Cook gently for three minutes then add a dessertspoon of curry powder. Cook for a further two minutes. Add one teaspoon of tomato purée, a glass of red wine, ¾ wineglass of water, one bay leaf, and bring to the boil. Then add a pinch each of salt, sugar and pepper, the juice of ½ a lemon and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Strain and cool. Add it slowly to 450ml mayonnaise, then stir in 1-2 tablespoons of apricot purée (made from soaked and boiled dry apricots). Season again – the sauce must not be too sweet. Finish by adding 2-3 tablespoons of whipped cream. Add only enough sauce to coat the chicken lightly, then eat it with a rice salad.